exoplanet
Alien star's companion
An exoplanet is a planet orbiting a star other than our sun.
The term emerged in the 1990s as astronomers began detecting planets in distant solar systems.
Most exoplanet discoveries come from observing how planets dim their stars or cause them to wobble: Astronomers have identified thousands of exoplanets, some in habitable zones.
Movement between places
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- KeplerPlanetary motion law formulator
- DopplerMotion-caused frequency change
- astrometryMeasuring celestial body positions
coronagraph · starlight · wobble · occultation · photometry · interferometry
Moon orbiting exoplanet
- eccentricityUnconventional behavior or nature
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- eclipticSun's apparent annual path
- inclinationDisposition toward something
Detectable signs of life
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- waterClear essential liquid
- oxygenElement eight, colorless gas
- temperateMild, avoiding extremes
Being from outer space
- biosignaturesDetectable signs of life
- extremophilesOrganisms surviving extreme conditions
- xenobiologyStudy of alien organisms
- prebioticNutrient for gut bacteria
habitability · methane · phosphine · oxygen · SETI · chirality · metabolism · abiogenesis
transit
Movement between places
- spectroscopyStudy of light-matter interaction
- KeplerPlanetary motion law formulator
- DopplerMotion-caused frequency change
astrometry · coronagraph · starlight · wobble · occultation · photometry · interferometry
exomoon
Moon orbiting exoplanet
- eccentricityUnconventional behavior or nature
- resonanceAmplified oscillation at natural frequency
- eclipticSun's apparent annual path
rocky
Covered with stones
- terrestrialRelating to land
biosignatures
Detectable signs of life
- atmosphereGaseous layer around planets
- waterClear essential liquid
- oxygenElement eight, colorless gas
extraterrestrial
Being from outer space
- biosignaturesDetectable signs of life
- extremophilesOrganisms surviving extreme conditions
- xenobiologyStudy of alien organisms
prebiotic · habitability · methane · phosphine · oxygen · SETI · chirality · metabolism · abiogenesis · panspermia